Orlando Home Grown Show

As part of the week long Snap Photography celebration, there was to be an exhibit of photography from Orlando locals at the Orlando Museum of Art as part of First Thursdays. Johannah O'Donnel was there and I was told she helped organize the exhibit. On exhibit in the front gallery were paintings which all revolved around an urban theme. I made my way back towards the sound of music. I bumped into Joe Rosier who was promoting his one man storytelling show in the up coming Fringe festival. I am trying to arrange to sketch Joe since he has so much character.

In the central room of the museum with the giant blue blown glass sculpture by Dale Chilhuly a simple two man band was warming up. Adriaan Mol was playing guitar in his laid back fashion. The bands name was, Please Respect our Decadence. There was a nice tall cocktail table right in front of the stage so I started to sketch. I always get nervous sketching in museums now and I kept tracking the museum guards movements as I worked.

Jared Silvia said hello and he let me know where the photography exhibit was. When I finished sketching I went to the back gallery where the photo exhibit was hung. Jared let me know where his wife Silvia's piece was hung. She was near her photo talking with friends. I jokingly asked her to stop crowding the art so I could get a look. It was a stark almost black and white photo of a woman in a flowing white dress lying in a stream. I couldn't see the woman's face. It looked to me like a murder scene. I talked to Jared about it and he said I was wrong. It was a more romantic and symbolic image with personal significance. I mentioned Dustin Hoffman floating in the pool in a scene from "The Graduate." I hit much closer to the mark with that visual analogy.

Snap was like a week long shot of adrenalin. This dynamic, inspiring event shook me to the core making me realize the importance creative media can have to affect positive change. The city of Orlando really needs events like this to challenge, provoke and inspire creative change.

Snap Mothers Day Reception

The main photography exhibit for Snap was on the 5th floor of the GIA Building (618 East South Street.) I parked in Thornton Park and walked to the building. The exhibit took up the entirety of the 5th floor which was still under construction. Overhead, air ducts and beams were exposed. The walls had exposed insulation and raw metal studs. It was a wide open industrial loft. Surreal fanciful photos were everywhere. One large area was separated from the rest with a long black curtain. I stepped inside the ominous space. Large three foot high black and white photos shot by Barry Kirsch hung from the ceiling one after the other in two rows. Every photo was of a murder scene with one element, a gold watch, appearing in each shot. Most of the shots felt staged but as a whole the effect was disturbing and desensitizing.

After seeing everything I decided to focus by sketching the Dan Eldon exhibit. Mothers slowly began to arrive, and it was heart warming to watch them share the art with their children. This was an opportunity to spend quality time away from the distractions of TV and video games. They could share wild creative thoughts with abandon. Dan Eldon's mom, Kathy, came to the exhibit and she offered a guided tour of her son's photo journals.Dan was born in 1970 in England. When he was seven years old the family moved to Nairobi Kenya. This began his lifelong infatuation with Africa. His mom was a journalist and he accompanied her on interviews. His father worked with local community leaders. From his parents he learned how to transfer ideas into positive life affirming actions. A creative activist is someone who uses thought or imagination to catalyze positive change in our world.

He returned to Africa when he was 22 and photographed the horrible effects of famine in Somalia. His images helped spearhead a large international relief effort. He used his art to affect a positive change. Throughout his life he kept journals in which he would create expressive collages. The exhibit consisted of large screens on which large prints were made of pages from his journals. These pages offered a personal glimpse into his adventurous life. I jotted down a few of the quotes from his pages, "The most important part of vehicle maintenance is clean windows, so if you are stranded you will enjoy the view." "Death is just a horizon and the horizon is only the extent of your view."

On July 12, 1997 Dan Eldon was stoned and beaten to death while covering the conflict in Mogadishu, Somalia. He was just 22 years old. His mother, though devastated, had to find a positive way to deal with her grief. She formed an organization called Creative Visions and published Dan's journals in a book called, "The Journey is the Destination." She is intent to share his creative vision with the world. This mothers Day I got to meet an extraordinary mom. A mother's love is eternal.

Kress Building Projection

Snap! Had a fantastic kick off event at the Kress building downtown yesterday. I drove to the site straight from work and thus arrived rather early. The techs from Paintscaping.com were busy setting up the projector, computers and miles of cables. I decided to take the escalator at the Plaza Movie Theater to a second floor balcony which had a view over the assembling crowd. As I sketched the sun popped out from behind a skyscraper and beat down on me for two solid hours. Just as I was getting ready to add color washes, it set. I painted everything but the facade of the building, waiting for the projection to begin.

A young couple going to a movie asked me why there was such a crowd. I explained a little about how Snap is a week long celebration of photography. I wasn't exactly sure what to expect from the building projection. There were video camera crews all around me and photographer's flashes fired off periodically, illuminating the gathering dusk. I of course smugly held the belief that a sketch still holds it's weight in gold.

The main event was spectacular. Phillipe Bergeron was the artist in charge of coordinating all the computer graphics in the projection. Be sure to watch the video! Of course after several hours of sketching, the projection took just five minutes. I chose to just paint in some flames quickly to set the warm colors against the increasingly cool night. Hundreds of cell phones lit up shooting video of the building, illuminating the crowd below me like stars. The video doesn't have quite as strong an impact as watching the event live. I was deeply impressed. Snap is turning out to be a world class arts event. Be sure to head out to the Snap "Homegrown" opening tonight at the Orlando Museum of Art curated by Stephanie Latscu and Heather Comparetto. It coincides with 1st Thursdays and is bound to be an equally spectacular event. Happening from 6-9pm admission for non-members is $10. Show your support for all the visual arts. Become a creative activist.

Snap!

Cris Phillips-George, the marketing director for Snap, invited me to a media roll out for this year's Snap events. Jeremy Seghers introduced me to Cris as soon as I arrived at Urban ReThink. Cris introduced us all to the five day event called Snap! Snap is a celebration showcasing the work of local, national and international photographers. Starting today, there will be over a dozen exhibits, artist appearances, workshops, lectures and parties. The theme this year is "Perception & Reality." Tonight Snap's kick off event is a larger than life projection of photos and 3-D animation onto the Kress building (130 S. Orange Ave.) There will be four hourly shows between 8 and 11pm. Admission is free. Cris showed a sample animation to the group and the effect is stunning. The first screening will be hosted by Mayor Buddy Dyer.

On May 5th a "Homegrown" photography exhibit will open at The Orlando Museum of Art (2416 N. Mills) from 6-9pm coinciding with 1st Thursdays. The theme is "Perception & Reality."

May 6th is the official Snap Opening Night gala and Exhibition honoring the 2011 international artists. This huge 25,000 square foot exhibition space is in the GAI Building (618 South Street) at 7pm. Tickets are needed.

May 7th is Fashion Night with two art inspired fashion shows. There will be guest speakers and lectures at UCF and CEM (500 West Livingston Street) from noon to 5pm. Tickets are needed.

May 8th is Mothers Day with a youth art reception at the GIA Building from noon to 5pm. (Ticket) There are also photography workshops at Orange Studio (121 North Mills Avenue from 10am to 6pm. (Ticket)

Cris showed us samples of some of the photographers work being exhibited. One photographer, Dan Eldon, was known for creating journals of his work. He traveled to Somalia photographing the famine and human rights violations happening there. The idea hits home to my love of the sketchbook journals I use for the blog. I can't wait to see his work. He used his art as an activist to spearhead change in the world and unfortunately he was killed at a very young age in Somalia.

There is an online Instant Snapification competition that invites anyone from around the globe to submit digital images taken with their cell phone. Approved images are posted online almost instantly. So whip out those cells and start snapping! Snap is a huge celebration of creativity. It promises something for everyone. I will sketch as much as possible, but get out and experience it for yourself. Feed your eyes and fan the flames of your creativity!

"Be the change you wish to see in the world."
- Gandi